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Letters the Week of Oct. 10, 2013

Wishful thinkers want to convince themselves and others that Hassan Rouhani is trustworthy and Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons (Cover story: “The ‘New Face’ of Iran?”, Oct. 3). Iranian leaders believe that the 12th Mahdi and the hidden Imam will appear after the final war against “infidels” has been won. They are determined to have nuclear weapons, and Israel and the United States are on their list for extermination. They say so publicly: “A world without Israel,” “Israel should be wiped off the map,” “Israel is the little Satan, but the U.S. is the big Satan.” They find no shame in such outrageous statements; it is the bedrock of their beliefs.

Mullah Rouhani’s “charm offensive” is totally deceitful. Rouhani believes in and practices religious genocide. His history against “infidels” includes planning the 1984 Beirut truck bombing — 241 Marines and 58 French peacekeepers were murdered. It includes the 1994 bombing of the Buenos Aires Jewish Community Center with 85 dead and 300 wounded.

The Iranians have over 20 buried nuclear sites (some five stories down). Nero fiddled while Rome burned. If Kool-Aid drinkers allow Iran to buy more time, Rome’s “burning” will be but a flicker compared to nuclear war.

Roberta E. Dzubow | Plymouth Meeting

U.S. Is Repeating the Mistakes of the Past

My wife and I recently returned from an 11-day trip to Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. From the early 1930s on, after Hitler was elected, people knew what was happening — rights taken away, people rounded up, camps being built, the 1936 propaganda Olympics in Berlin, the Munich agreement, Kristallnacht, etc., etc. The United States and the world chose to ignore evil and to appease evil. The consequences were unfathomable.

Regrettably, we are failing to learn the lessons of history and repeating mistakes of the past. With regard to Syria, this administration said two years ago, “Assad must go.” Last year, we said there are serious repercussions to using chemical weapons. Today, we say Assad can stay in power if he “promises” to give up his weapons of mass destruction. This is appeasing evil, and we’re doing the same in Iran (Cover story: “The ‘New Face’ of Iran?”, Oct. 3). In 2009, we failed to support the Iranians in the street fighting fascism and seeking a better future. Today, the regime can stay if they “promise” not to develop nuclear weapons. What a deal.

In Prague, the Czechs still talk about defeating Communism in 1989 “without firing a shot.” American exceptionalism means providing moral leadership. There are many ways for the United States to confront evil short of military action. If “Never Again” is to mean something to the Jewish community and to the world, we must never again appease evil. We are now failing this test, but with our policy toward Iran, we have an opportunity to change course.